Abstract

Increased left hemisphere cortical activity, primarily of the frontal cortex, is associated with improved naming performance in persons with aphasia (PWA). Our aim was to determine if anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (A-tDCS), a noninvasive and safe method used to increase cortical excitability, would improve naming accuracy in PWA when applied to the scalp overlying the left frontal cortex. Ten PWA received five days of A-tDCS (1 mA; 20 min) and five days of sham tDCS (S-tDCS) while performing a computerized anomia treatment. Results revealed significantly improved naming accuracy of treated and untreated items following A-tDCS as compared to S-tDCS.